Float valve for pot type oil burners



M 6 T u m 9 N M WW 6 5 2 W n W L A A. B. NEWTON FLOAT VALVE FOR POT TYPE OIL BURNERS Filed May 27, 1946 .FIIIT' l April 14, 1953 Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES FLOAT VALVE FOR POT TYPE OIL BURNERS ENT OFFICE Application May 27, 1946, Serial No. 672,495

4 Claims.

My present invention relates to means for controlling the flow of fuel oil to a burner of the vaporizing type. There are many types of oil burners which depend upon gravity feed for supalong line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 33 of Fig. 1.

The flow control device comprises a vessel 12 ply of fuel, the supply of fuel being adjustable 5 divided by a vertical partition l3 to provide an from a maximum to a minimum quantity so as to inlet chamber [4 and an outlet chamber IS. The have a small pilot flame and at least one convessel is provided with a cover [6 suitably secured trolled higher flame, in many cases there being thereto and provided with an upwardly extending a plurality of higher flame stages. There are portion ll having an oil inlet connection I8 theremany types of t l devices for adjusting the 10 in. The outer end of the extension I! is sealed flow of fuel, most of such devices comprising a off from the remainder thereof by a wall 20 prochamber havin an inlet valve under control of viding a closed chamber Within which is mounted a float device adapted to maintain a substantially a cylindrical strainer 2! held in position by a reconstant head in the chamber, and outlet means movable plug 22. Opposed to the plug is an outfrom the chamber comprising fixed orifices and let spud 23 having opposed valve seats therein needle valves which are opened or closed under adapted to be closed by a double acting valve 24 control of various types of control means. It has havin a stem 25 attached thereto. When the been my observation that the means for opening valve is in the position illustrated flow of oil or closing the valves are not dependable and give through the screen 2| and spud 23 is permitted rise to numerous service complaints. Also the but flow will be stopped upon movement of the sizes of the orifices are usually so small that convalve in either direction to contact either of the stant cleaning of the orifice or needle device convalve seats. In order to cause movement of the trolling the orifice is necessary. It is an object valve the stem is provided with a socket head of my invention to provide a fuel regulating de- 26 engaging the free end of a rocker lever 21 exvice under control of a dependable type of control 25 tending upward from a float carrying lever 28 means, the device having only one large orifice pivoted at 29 to cars 39 e tending downwardly which Will not become fouled and which may perfrom the cover I 6. A solid float 3| is attached to mit the flow of any desired quantity of oil from one end of the lever 23 and extends into the chama maximum to a minimum quantity, both exber l4, and a counter-balancing solid float 32 is tremes being adjustable. 30 attached to the other end in chamber [5. The

It is a further object of my invention to profloat 3! will rise and cause closing of valve 24 if vide an oil flow control device in which it is chamber M reaches the overflow point and the possible to use solid instead of hollow floats, float 32 will rise and cause closing of the valve thereby eliminating a constant cause of failure if chamber 55 retains any appr c a e q y Of due to leaky floats. 35

A further object of my invention is to provide e pa t n I3 is p v d Wi n Outlet a flow control device having simplified automatic Orifice ube 35 at a predetermined level with vremeans for shutting off" the flow of 011 into the spect to the desirable constantly maintained level device in the event that the device becomes of the fuel supp y in Chamber o as to permit flooded due to failure of the oil to flow therefrom, t e w f u therethroush under constant headsuch as would be caused b th inlet to an oil The tube 35 extends a short distance into chamburner becoming clogged with carbon deposits. 61 I5 and s i sert d into t e end of a flexible A further object of my invention is to provide tube 36 of substantial length. The free end of an oil flow device having automatic dependable the flexible tube carr s a ho e g f rigid means for shutting on the supply of oil thereto tube 37 which is received within the eye 38 of regardless of the desires of the control means to an ye b 39 Which eXfiendS downwardly in continue the flow f oil thereto. chamber I5 and is adjustably secured to the free The foregoing and other objects and dvant end of a bimetallic actuator 40 mounted on a of my invention will be readily apparent to those boss 4| in the Chamber The position o the skilled in the art from an inspection of th f 1- 5 free end of the bimetallic element 40 thus deterlowing specification and accompanying drawings mines the dilierence in level between the surface wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughf he l Oil in chamber 14 and 01113191? o tube out. In the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section 36 Thus means are provided for varying the through a-preferred embodiment of my invention; total head tending to control the flow of oil into Fig. -2 is a vertical section taken substantially chamber l5;

Preferably the internal diameter of tube 35 is larger than the internal diameter of tube 31 so as to maintain the interior of the flexible tube 36 full of fuel oil.

The head acting against the outlet is controlled by means for adjusting the position of the bimetallic bar 40, the preferred'form comprising a resistance heater element 45 positioned adjacent the bimetallic bar. The amount of current flowing through the resistance will vary the total heat radiated therefrom and hence vary the position of the bar. The resistance may be supplied with current by means of wires 46 and 41 leading from contacts 48 and 49, respectively, in the outer wall of the receptacle l2, the contacts having screw heads '50 and respectively, to which may be attached Wires leading from any suitable control means of which many possible types are known to the art.

The minimum flow of fuel oil may be adjusted by means of a screw 55 passing through an opening in the bar 46 and threaded into a boss 56 in the floor of the receptacle. The head of the screw is too large to pass through the opening, hence the bar will come to rest at a maximum height upon cooling.

The maximum flow of fuel oil may be regulated by means of a slide 57 having vertical slots 59 through which pass guiding rivets 60 extending inward from the end wall of the receptacle. The slide is provided with an upper inwardly extending portion 6| adapted to be engaged by an adjusting screw 62 carried by the cover l6, and is also provided with a lower inwardly extending portion 63 engaged by a compressed spring 64 extending between the extension and the floor of the receptacle so as to hold the slide firmly against the end of the adjusting screw. The free end of the bimetallic bar engages the extension 63 so as to adjustably limit the downward movement of the bar upon being heated, thus providing adjustable maximum flow.

If the burner is of the type requiring only minimum and maximum flow the controls may be such as to supply constant current to the heater 45 when maximum flow is desired. If the burner is of the type having several intermediate stages of combustion the amount of current flowing through the heater 45 may be regulated by suitable controls so as to tend to cause the bimetallic bar to rest at various intermediate levels.

The operation of the device may be commenced by means of a knob extending above the cover I6 and attached to a vertically extending rod H having a horizontal arm 12 at its lower end. The knob 11] may be depressed and rotated to cause the arm 12 to engage the end of lever 28, which may then be lifted to cause valve 24 to open. The knob may be released as soon as sufficient oil has been admitted to chamber l4 to cause the valve to remain in open position. If the flow of oil through the valve 24 is faster than the flow from the chamber l4 the float 3| will rise sufliciently to move valve 24 to the left in Fig. 1 to shut the valve. The minimum flow of oil through the tube 36 will permit the lighting of a pilot flame in the burner which is connected by suitable means (not shown) to the outlet from the chamber [5. If for any reason oil cannot flow through the outlet 1'5 the float 32 will be raised to shut off the flow of oil by moving the inlet valve 24 to the right in Fig. 1. Under normal operation the chamber [5 will be drained as rapidly as oil enters. The position of the tube 36 will be controlled by the amount and duration of current flow through the heater 45 so as to control the flow of oil to the burner. If for any reason fuel should accumulate in chamber l5 and for some reason the inlet valve does not shut off due to the action of float 32, further safety means is provided in that the cooling effect of the oil accumulating around the bimetallic bar 40 will cause the tube 36 to be raised regardless of the influence of heater 45 to lower it, hence causing the level to rise in chamber I4 and causing the valve 24 to move to the left in Fig. 1 and shut off under control of the float 3|.

Having illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications in detail and arrangement thereof are permissible within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A control device for regulating the flow of liquid fuel to a burner comprising a container having partition means definin a first and a second compartment therein, said container having an inlet to said first compartment and an outlet from said second compartment, a valve operable to close said inlet when moved in either of two directions and having an intermediate open position, said partition means having a discharge outlet connecting said first compartment and said second compartment, a flexible tube extending from said discharge outlet, control means to adjust the position of said flexible tube to control the flow of liquid from the first to the second compartment, a first float in said first compartment, means operably connecting said first float and said valve so that said valve is moved in a first direction to a closed position when said first float is raised above a predetermined level, a second float in said second compartment, means operably connecting said second float and said valve so that said valve is moved in a second direction to a closed position when said second float is raised above a predetermined level.

2. A control device for regulating the flow of liquid fuel to a burner comprising a container having partition means defining a first and a second compartment therein, said container having an inlet to said first compartment and an outlet from said second compartment, a valve operable to close said inlet, said partition means having a discharge outlet connecting said first compartment and said second compartment, a flexible tube extending from said discharge outlet, a bimetallic element operable to adjust the position of said flexible tube to control the flow of liquid from the first to the second comparte ment, electric heating device to control the temperature of said bimetallic element, a float in said first compartment and means operably connecting said float and said valve so that said valve is closed when said float is raised above a predetermined level by liquid in said first compartment, said electric heating device and said bimetallic element being positioned to be cooled by an accumulation of fuel in said second compartment to thereby elevate said flexible tube to decrease the flow of liquid fuel from said first compartment to said second compartment.

3. A control device for regulating the flow of liquid fuel to a burner comprising a container having partition means defining a first and a second compartment therein, said container having an inlet to said first compartment and an out let from said second compartment, a valve operable to close said inlet, said partition means having a discharge outlet connecting said first compartment and said second compartment, a flexible tube extending from said discharge outlet, a temperature responsive element operatively connected to said tube to lower said tube when said element is heated to thereby increase the flow of fuel between said compartments, control means to heat said element, said element being so positioned in said second compartment that the accumulation of an appreciable amount of fuel in said second compartment cools said element and decreases the flow of fluid from said first compartment, a float in said first compartment and means operably connecting said float and said valve so that said valve is closed when said float is raised above a predetermined level by liquid in said first compartment.

4. A control device for regulating the flow of liquid fuel to a burner comprising a container having partition means defining a first and a second compartment therein, said container having an inlet to said first compartment and an outlet from said second compartment, a valve operable to close said inlet when moved in either of two directions and having an intermediate open position, said partition means having a discharge outlet connecting said first compartment and said second compartment, a flexible tube extending from said discharge outlet, control means to adjust the position of said flexible tube to control the flow of liquid from the first tothe second compartment, a pivotally mounted control arm operatively connected to said valve, a first float in said first compartment connected to said arm on one side of its pivotal mounting, a second float in said second compartment operatively connected to said arm on the other side of its pivotal mounting whereby said valve is moved in a first direction to a closed position when the resultant of the forces acting on said floats rotates said arm in a first direction beyond predetermined limits and said valve is moved in a second direction to a closed position when the resultant of the forces acting on said floats rotates said arm in a second direction beyond predetermined limits.

ALWIN B. NEWTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 45,437 Richards Dec. 13, 1864 917,381 Twiford. Apr. 6, 1901 1,376,519 Du Laney May 3, 1921 2,187,045 McCorkle Jan. 16, 1940 2,234,088 Russel Mar. 4, 1941 2,243,536 Rouan May 27, 1941 2,244,088 Stroud June 3, 1941 2,397,120 Breese Mar. 26, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 742,365 France Dec. 27, 1932 

